Collapsible table leg hinge and latch structure



Aug. 5, 1947. F. M. OVERBEY COLLAPSIBLE TABLE LEG HINGE AND LATCH STRUCTURE Filed June 26, 1944 2 Shegts-Sheet 1 "u 7 NHIHIHlllllllllllllll Aug. 5, 1947.. FQ M. OVERBEY CQLLAPSIBLE TABLE LEG HINGE AND LATCH STRUCTURE 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Jun e 26, 1944 Patented Aug. 5, 1947 COLLAPSIBLE TABLE LEG HINGE AND' LATCH STRUCTURE Floyd M. Overbey, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Ero Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 26, 1944, Serial No. 542,184

lClaim. i

This invention relates to collapsible tables and, more particularly, to a combination hinge and manually controlled latch structure for pivotally or hingedly mounting the leg of a collapsible table at the underside of the table top and for latching the table leg in erected or upright position.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved and relatively simple but efficient combination hinge and man ually controlled latch structure for pivotally or hingedly mounting table legs at the underside of the top of a collapsible table top and in such a manner that the table leg will automatically become latched against collapsing movement when swung into upright or erected position but may readily be unlatched for movement into collapsed position by means of a manually operable latch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement of the manually operable latch which is embodied in the new device and which renders the latch readily accessible and easily operated.

Other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show preferred embodiments and the principle thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode which I have contemplated applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claim.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a collapsible table embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan View of the table shown in Fig. l but showing the table legs in collapsed position;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view, partly in section, of the new combination table leg hinge and latch structure, showing the table leg latched in upright position; H r

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View, partly-in section, showing the new combination table leg hinge and latch structure and showing the table leg latched in erected or upright position; I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, showing the new combination table leg hinge and latch structure and showing'the table leg in collapsed or folded position; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the new combination table leghinge and latch structure and showing the relationship of the parts embodied therein to the inner end portion of the table leg.

A collapsible table embodying the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, wherein it is generally indicated at. Ill, and said table may be a collapsible table of any type such,

material such, for example, as wood or the like.

The new combination table leg hinge and latch structure isgenerally indicated at M and while there would, of course, be four of them in a col lapsible table, one for each leg l3, these devices are all identical in construction and hence only one will be described herein.

The new combination table leg hinge and latch structure It comprises a U-shaped hinge member or metallic casting l5 which may be mounted upon the table It] at the underside of the table top II in any suitable manner, as, for example, by means of a supporting bracket or casting I6 which has end portions or arms I! attached to the table frame i2, this supporting bracket it having an offset intermediate portion l 8 to which the end wall l9 of the U-shaped hinge member I 5 may be attached (Fig. 3) in any suitable manner as, for example, by welding or the like.

The U-shaped hinge member l5 includes a pair of side or cam plates 23 and each of these cam plates 20 has an arcuate cam surface 2|, a.

notch 22 being provided in each of the cam surfaces 2l adjacent the lower end thereof (Fig. 5), for a purpose which will be described presently.

The upper or inner end portion of the table leg I3 is shown as having a U-shaped hinge memher or sleeve 23 attached thereto, in any suitable manner, as by welding 24, although this sleeve might be dispensed with, if desired, and the parts made all in one piece. This U-shaped sleeve 23 includes a pair of spaced parallel side walls 25 which are fitted closely against and are guided in their movement by the adjacent parallel cam and guide plates 23 of the member l5 between which the side walls, 25 of the U-shaped sleeve 23 are arranged. However, as shown the sleeve 23 and the body of the table leg form a single unitary rigid table leg construction and the said table leg is pivotally or hingedly mounted at its upper or inner end by hingedly mounting the side walls 25 of the U-shaped sleeve 23 upon a hinge pin 26 which extends between the side or cam plates 28 of the U-shaped hinge member 15.

A manually operable slide plate or latch control member 27 is slidably mounted upon the upper or inner end portion of the table leg l3, at the open side of the U-shaped sleeve 23, that is to say, between the arms or side walls 25 of the sleeve 23, this slide plate or latch control bar 21 having a curved finger grip 28 at its outer or lower end. The slide plate 2'|28 is attached, by a headed bolt 29, to the central portion of a slidable latch bar 3! The bolt 29 works in a slot 36 which is formed in the wall of the tubular leg I3 and the other end portions of this slidable latch bar 30 work and are guided in corresponding companion slots 3| one of which is formed in each of the side walls 25 of the U-shaped sleeve 23. The slidable latch bar 33 has outer end portions 32 (Fig. 3) which function as camming or latching end portions of the slidable latch bar 30 in that these outer end portions 32 of the latch bar 30 cam upon and ride over the arcuate cam surfaces 2| of the side or cam plates 20 of the U-shaped hinge member l5, the outer end portions 32 of the slidable latch bar 38 being urged into camming engagement with the arcuate cam surfaces 2| of the side or cam plates 29 of the U-shaped hinge member l5 by means of a coil spring 33 which is arranged in the tubular leg l3, the inner end portion of the spring 33 being attached, as at 34, to the bolt 29 and the outer end portion of the spring 33 being attached, as at 35, to the inner wall of the tubular leg l3 by being bent thereover, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6 In the use and operation of the present invention the table leg |323 may normally be disposed in collapsed or folded position, as in Figs. 2 and 5, and when thus disposed the camming outer end portions 32 of the latch bar 30 are urged by the spring 33 into camming engagement with the arcuate cam surfaces 2| of the cam or side plates 23 of theU-shaped hinge member IS.

The table leg |323 may be manually moved into erected position, as in Figs. 4 and 6, by manually grasping the table leg |323 and pivoting the sam upon its hinge pin 28. During this movement the camming outer end portions 32 of the latch bar 33 will rid the arcuate cam surfaces 2| of the cam plates 23 and as and when the table leg |323 reaches erected position the camming outer end portions 32 of the latch bar 30 are urged by the spring 33 into latching engagement in and with the notches 22 which are formed in the cam surfaces or cam tracks 2| of the cam plates 28 at the lower ends thereof (Fig. 5) thereby firmly latching th table leg |323 in fully erected position. During this operation the camming outer end portions 32 of the latch bar 3|] work in the slots 3| which are formed in the side walls 25 of the U-shaped sleeve 23 and the bolt 29 works in the slot 36.

However, when it is desired to fold or collapse the table legs l3 this may readily be accomplished by manually grasping the finger grip 23 on the latch operating bar 27 and pulling outwardly against the action of the spring 33, so as to retract the camming and latching outer end portions 32 of the latch bar 33 from the notches 22, the latch control bar, 2123,being held against the action of the spring 33 while the leg |323 is pivoted slightly in its hinge 28 so as to enable the camming and latching end portions 32 of the latch bar 30 to ride back into the cam tracks 2|. During this operation the camming and latching end portions 32 of the latch bar 30 will again slide in the slots 3| and the bolt 29 will slide into the slot 3'6. The table leg 323 may then be pivoted into fully collapsed or folded position and during this operation the camming and latching end portions 32 of the latch bar 30 will ride over the arcuate cam surfaces or cam tracks 2|, as the table leg |3-23 is pivoted upon its hinge 26 back into completely folded or collapsed position. It

7 will be noted in this connection that during movepanying drawings, that the present invention provides a novel and simple but efficient combination hinge and latch structure for the legs of collapsible tables and thus accomplishes its intended object and has the desirable advantages and characteristics including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention.

I I claim:

In a device of the character described, a substantially U-shaped rigid hinge member having an end wall and spaced integral similarly shaped and sized side-walls fixedly secured to the under side of a table top adjacent a corner thereof, the said side walls being arranged in spaced parallel vertical planes and having arcuately shaped edges with notches therein which open into the arcuate edges thereof, a table leg polygonal in cross-section at its hollow upper end, another substantially U-shaped movable hinge member having an end wall and integral imilarly shaped and sized side-walls fixedly secured to and having a portion thereof extending beyond the upper end of the table leg with portions of its sidewalls and the said end wall engaging certain of the polygonal portions of the upper portion of the table leg and having similar portions of the side-walls thereof each having a slot therein, and which last mentioned side walls project beyond another polygonal upper portion of the table leg oppositely of the portion engaged by the end wall of the movable hinge member thus providing a space between the said similar projecting portions of the side walls of the movable hinge member adjacent the upper end of the table leg, the movable hinge member being disposed in the space between the side-walls of the fixed hinge member with each hinge member having registered openings in their side walls, a pintle pin positioned in the said registered openings in and forming a pivot for the table leg, a substantially flat rectangularly shaped latch member positioned in the space between the projecting portions of the side-walls of the movable hinge member and contacting and slidable on the polygonal face of the table leg and having its ends extending through the slots in the movable hinge member and projecting beyond the sides of the table leg in engagement with the arcuate edges of the fixed hinge member, an elongated latch operating member having an offset end portion thereof overlying and contacting the latch member in the space between the projecting portions of the side-walls of the movable hinge member and an intermediate portion thereof slidably engaging the polygonal face of the table leg and with its other end extending outwardly from the table leg to form a finger piece, the last mentioned polygonal face of the table leg having an elongated slot therein, the latch and latch operating members each having a registered opening which are in registry with the elongated slot, a bolt extending through the said openings and maintaining the latch and operating means therefor in proper association and having one end projecting through the last mentioned slot and into the hollow table leg, a coil sprin within the upper hollow end of the table leg with one end thereof secured to the projecting end of the bolt and with it other end secured to the upper end edge portion of the table leg thus tensioning the latch and its operating member which are slidable in a single plane only parallel with the polygonal face of the upper end of the table leg, whereby the projecting ends of the latch ride on the arcuate edges of the fixed hinge member when the table leg is moved on its pintle and the latch enters the opposite slots in the fixed hinge member to thereby temporarily fix the two hinge members and the table leg together in extended position and by manually sliding the operating member and latch in a single plane to remove the latch from the said slots for moving the table leg to a folded position.

FLOYD M. OVERBEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

